Victim as offender in youth violence.

STUDY

OBJECTIVE

To determine how often adolescent and young adult victims of assaultive injury are offenders in assaults and other crimes.

DESIGN

Comparison of 10- to 24-year-old males treated in the accident and emergency department for assault-related injuries to similar-aged males treated in the same department for unintentional injuries. Police records were searched on both groups for warnings or convictions.

SETTING

Accident and emergency department of the Cardiff Royal Infirmary.

RESULTS

Assault patients were significantly more likely to be formally warned or convicted, and they had a higher mean number of warnings or convictions per 100 person-years of exposure, than other injury patients. These differences were most pronounced for the younger patients and for the year following the injury.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that many young male assault patients either have a history of criminal activity or develop criminal behavior subsequent to their assault and may benefit from appropriate intervention aimed at interrupting the cycle of crime and violence.